Ukraine: Swift, decisive action required to bring perpetrators of two fatal attacks against Roma to justice

2 July 2018, Index number: EUR 50/8708/2018

Ukrainian authorities must act swiftly and decisively to bring to justice perpetrators of two fatal attacks against Roma. On 23 June, masked men armed with knives and other weapons raided a Roma camp in Lviv, which left one man dead and four injured, including a 10 year-old-boy. On 1 July, unidentified assailants stabbed and killed a 30-year-old Roma woman in Berehove, Zakarpattya region. Both attacks follow a surge in violence by far-right groups against Roma and other groups including women’s rights activists, LGBTI people and journalists. The attacks have fuelled a climate of impunity as they have been largely unaddressed by the Ukrainian authorities.